(haipo) Last night, the Haifa Magistrate's Court released under restrictive conditions Leonid Lashev, a former Haifa resident who currently lives mainly abroad, suspected of committing offenses under the Income Tax Ordinance and the Money Laundering Prohibition Law. Lashev is suspected of selling and converting virtual currencies worth approximately 2 million shekels and of holding bank accounts in Russia without reporting to the Tax Authority.
Suspicion of high-volume trading in virtual currencies
As part of an investigation conducted by the Haifa and Northern Investigations Tax Assessor, suspicions arose that Lashov was operating in a large-scale trading arena for virtual currencies abroad. According to the suspicion, in 2019-2020, Lashov allegedly made sales and conversions of virtual currencies totaling approximately 2 million shekels. In addition, suspicion arose that in 2019-2021, Lashov held three bank accounts in Russia: in one account, he held an amount of approximately half a million dollars, in another account an amount of approximately 600 rubles, and in another account an amount of approximately 20 euros. Lashov is also suspected of committing additional offenses under the Income Tax Ordinance and the Money Laundering Prohibition Law.
The investigation became public – the suspect was released under restrictive conditions
Yesterday, the investigation became public, and the suspect was questioned by the Income Tax Investigations Unit. During the investigation, Lapshov was presented with documents on alleged evidence that were received and collected by the unit. Later in the day, Lapshov was brought before a judge at the Haifa Magistrate's Court, who decided to release him on restrictive conditions. Among the conditions set: an order prohibiting him from leaving the country for a period of 180 days and the deposit of his passport. This is an investigation conducted by the Haifa and Northern Investigations Tax Assessor, as part of the Tax Authority's activities to enforce the reporting obligations that apply to Israeli residents regarding assets and income abroad.
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